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Sunflower cultivation starts gaining
popularity: 60,000 hectares fixed
KARACHI (April 25
2004): Sindh Food and Agriculture Minister Arif
Mustafa Jatoi has said the cultivation of
sunflower, a low water consuming and valuable
crop, has started gaining popularity in lower
Sindh.
Presiding over a meeting at his office on Saturday
of the representatives of farmers, solvent
extracting units, oil millers and hybrid seed
supply companies to examine the prospects of
extension of sunflower cultivation to other areas,
the minister said the present cultivation had
already exceeded the acreage target.
Arif Mustafa Jatoi expressed his satisfaction that
the target area of sunflower was set at 60,000
hectares in Sindh, while it was sown on an area of
around 171,000 hectares, showing an increase of
235 percent.
The minister said he expected sunflower
cultivation to go up to 250,000 hectares during
the next season.
The minister assured availability of quality seed
and marketing facilities would further enlarge the
area under sunflower cultivation which would not
only help improve the rural economy, but also
minimise the import bill of edible oil.
During the discussion over the size of the crop,
Jatoi advised the representatives of seed
companies that they should ensure availability of
quality seed at the reasonable price, as there was
wide gap between the production and the potential
yield forecast by seed companies.
The minister said the representatives of the seed
companies and the experts should also arrange
transfer of modern technology and training on
sunflower cultivation, adding the price of seed
should be kept at the present level between Rs 740
and Rs 800 per maunds and the farmers could get
payment in time.
Courtesy Business Recorder |
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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